*As They Sprinkle Mansions On Stolen Lands*
Threats by the Mills-led government to take back what has become known as the “stolen lands” have rather sparked the perpetrators into action, briskly building houses with indecent haste on their illegally acquired lands.
From Accra to Kumasi, the perpetrators, literally, are calling the bluff of the government, and are openly constructing plush mansions on the disputed plots. Those who are not yet ready to build their house are busily erecting tall fence walls to secure the lands from possible intruders.
Among the top gurus of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) whose mansions are at different stages of completion on the Denyame-Kumasi state lands include Dr. Mathew Opoku Prempeh (Baby MP), Member of Parliament for Manhyia; Mr. Anthony Oteng-Gyasi; ex-President of the Association Ghana Industries (AGI), Mrs. Patricia Appiagye, ex- Mayor of Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and S. K. Boafo, the ex-Ashanti Regional Minister.
Ex-Chief of Staff and Minister of Presidential Affairs, Kwadwo Mpiani, has also been mentioned to have recently struck his Denyame plot with pickaxe in commencement of work on his building.
With just a telephone call, expensive plots valued at ¢1 billion were shockingly demarcated and shared among the NPP big shots at a giveaway price of ¢10 million, per plot. Within days, some of the personalities were busily selling theirs at a whopping ¢950 million while others had priced theirs as high as US$500,000.
From Kumasi, our reporter, Samuel Mensah Torbizor, who has visited the area popularly called “Residency,” reports that Dr. Prempreh is vigorously putting finishing touches to his mansion with the hope of moving in on completion.
The MP for Manhyia has admitted owning a portion of the state land. Dr. Opoku Prempeh recently disclosed to Fox FM, based in Kumasi, that he petitioned the then NPP government and the land was released to him legally. He told Morning Show host “Captain Smart” that there is a political agenda being wedged against him by some elements within the NDC to tarnish his hard-earned reputation.
He had earlier accused President Mills, then Vice President, Former President Rawlings, Nii Oko Dzani and other NDC members of also grabbing State lands. But this claim has been totally described as false by President Mills and Oko Dzani, who is the Greater-Accra Regional Chairman of the Land Commission.
Mrs. Patricia Appiagye has finished her house. She is reported to have built the house day and night.
The exceptionally beautiful Mrs. Appiagye is famously remembered for being the first mayor who grabbed a megaphone had it mounted on top of a vehicle and desperately begged people to vote for the NPP during the last 2008 Presidential run-off.
Taxi drivers who had been arrested and jailed for motor traffic offenses, were also released from prison and later given free gallons of petrol to cajole them to vote for her beloved party.
She is yet to move into the new house with her family.
Mr. Oteng Gyasi, has already completed his mansion on the government land and yet to move in. The house is still empty with nobody staying in it presently.
It was also discovered that other beneficiaries namely; Madam Cecilia Abena Dapaa, MP for Bantama, Baffuor Asare Amankwatia, Mr. Ernest Yaw Kwarten, ex-Deputy Ashanti Regional Lands Officer and others have also scattered magnificent mansions, which are at various stages of completion, on their illegally acquired state lands .
Mr. Sampson K Boafo ex-Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr. Owusu Akyaw, Dr. Joyce Dontwi were busily developing theirs plot with the speed of light The Herald observed.
Others include Nana Kwabena Oduro, Adwoa Birago, Prof. Yaw Safo Boafo, Charles Osei, K Owusu-Poku, Kwame Agyarpong Boafo, Baffour Owusu Asare Amankwatia, Kwaku Frimpong, Anthony Gambrah, Akwasi Banahene, Nana Kwame Kyeretwie, Johnson Asiedu, Mr. and Mrs. Oduro-Kwarteng, Osei Assibey, Kofi Dua-Adonteng, Stephen Mensah Opoku Agyemang, Charity Osei and Alhaji Hamidu Ibrahim Baryeh, ex-boss of the Lands Commission.
Meanwhile in Accra, the huge Legion Village land adjacent the Opeibea House, near the Airport, which used to be a property of the Ghana Armed Forces, has seen a massive concrete fence wall erected around it.
Checks by The Herald revealed that the land now belongs to a very prominent NPP man, one Dr. Annor of Annor and Associates, based in Accra.
He is said to have gone into a certain arrangement with the military which made possible his relocation of the ex-military men to Amasaman, hence his presence on the state land.
